Sergio Perez fears “something bad is going to happen soon” with the current state of the 2026 Formula 1 cars after a close shave at Baku.
The all-new engine formula has divided opinions in the paddock, especially on the driveability and safety side of things.
Oliver Bearman’s Japanese Grand Prix shunt was a wake-up call for the sport, as the FIA and F1 introduced rule changes to counter the lift-and-coast tactics which had led to massive differences in the closing speeds of chasing and leading cars.
And while further tweaks, such as a shift to a 60-40 split in favour of the ICE, have been decided for 2028, Perez believes that, with the current state of affairs, a “bad” accident is just waiting to happen.
The Cadillac driver revealed how he almost endured a “massive shunt” with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson at Baku due to the delta of deployment between the two cars.
“I was going to have a massive shunt with Lawson when I was defending from him, because the difference in deployment and power across engines is too dangerous,” he said.
“And I fear something bad is going to happen soon, if we don’t make some changes on the regulations.”
Sergio Perez hopes F1’s “dangerous” engines can be quelled soon
The General Motors-backed project has entered F1 as a customer team, taking its engines from Ferrari, but hopes to kick-start its works engine programme from 2028 onwards.
That said, as things stand, the Ferrari power unit is lagging behind the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull. Perez detailed how this puts him and his team-mate Valtteri Bottas in “dangerous” situations on track.
Moving forward, he hopes F1 can reduce the outright speed delta between cars that are starved of battery power and cars that are deploying.
“I hope they are able to close up the gap,” Perez added.
“Because at the moment it feels like, Mercedes and Red Bull, they have a very strong engine, and they can get you in places where the deployment is so poor and different to us. The difference in speed is too dangerous.”
Perez and Cadillac are still in search of their first F1 championship points of 2026, as we head into the Bahrain GP in Malaysia weekend at the Sepang International Circuit.
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